System for transferring articles

Abstract

Emptying bowls are transported by an intermittently traveling endless conveyor having an upper run for transporting the bowls in an upright position and a lower run for transporting the bowls in an inverted position. A belt which travels intermittently in synchrony with the conveyor is positioned to contact and cover the open tops of the bowls for retaining contents of the bowls therein as the bowls are transported from an upright position on the upper run to an inverted position on the lower run. The belt is retracted at a position beneath the lower run when the conveyor is stationary to release the contents from the bowls.

I claim: 
     
       1. An article transfer apparatus comprising: an endless conveyor having an upper run for transporting emptying bowls having an open top in an upright position and a lower run for transporting the bowls in an inverted position;   means for intermittently advancing the endless conveyor;   a belt positioned to cover open tops of the bowls transported from an upright position on the upper conveyor run to and in an inverted position on the lower conveyor run for retaining contents of the bowls therein;   means for intermittently advancing the belt in synchrony with the endless conveyor;   means for retracting the belt from the bowls at a position on the lower conveyor run to uncover an inverted bowl to release the contents from the bowl; and   means positioned for receiving the contents released from the uncovered bowls.   
     
     
       2. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for feeding the bowls to the upper conveyor run for being transported by the endless conveyor and means for removing empty bowls from the upper conveyor run. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the means for feeding and the means for removing the bowls to and from the conveyor are pushing devices positioned on conveyors having a run positioned lateral to the endless conveyor runs at a position above the endless conveyor upper run. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for retracting the belt includes means to take up slack in the belt as the belt retracts. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for taking up the slack comprise at least one roller about which the belt is trained and means for moving the at least one roller to take up the slack. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for retracting the belt includes a reciprocal shuttle board. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a vibratory unit positioned for vibrating bowls uncovered by the belt for assisting releasing contents from the bowls. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the endless conveyor is a chain conveyor having means to secure the bowls. 
     
     
       9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the bowl is a container having a shape selected from the group consisting of circular, square and rectangular shapes. 
     
     
       10. A process for transferring non-liquid articles comprising: intermittently transporting emptying bowls, which have an open top and which have contents contained therein, on an endless conveyor so that the bowls are transported on an upper run of the conveyor in an upright position and on a lower run of the conveyor in an inverted position;   intermittently advancing a belt in synchrony with the conveyor and bowls to contact and to cover the open tops of the bowls transported from an upright position on the upper conveyor run to and in an inverted position on the lower conveyor run for retaining the contents in the bowls therein;   feeding a receiving means to a position beneath the lower conveyor run and belt; and   retracting the belt at a position above the receiving means at a time when the endless conveyor is stationary to uncover inverted bowls to release the contents from the bowls into the receiving means.   
     
     
       11. A process according to claim 10 further comprising vibrating the bowls uncovered to assist releasing the contents from the bowls. 
     
     
       12. A process according to claim 10 further comprising feeding the bowls to and removing the bowls from the upper conveyor run.